San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
S.D. POLICE OFFICER AWARDED PURPLE HEART
Francisco Roman Jr. was wounded in Iraq when serving with the Marines
A San Diego police officer credited with saving a fellow lawman’s life six years ago by shielding him from gunfire was awarded the Purple Heart this week for combat wounds he suffered while serving with the Marine Corps during the Iraq War.
Francisco Roman Jr., a former member of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, received the military commendation Tuesday at Camp Pendleton in honor of his actions and resulting injuries during the First Battle of Fallujah.
Roman was wounded by an improvised explosive device while leading Marines in a quick-reaction force to support another squad during a firefight in Al Anbar Province in the spring of 2005.
“We were patrolling back to our base, and I noticed that the streets were empty,” Roman told the Department of Defense’s news service. “A mosque started playing the call to prayer. I looked back and told my squad mate that it felt like we were in
a movie, and the next thing I saw was a bright orange flash.”
Roman awoke minutes later, took cover and, though wounded, began regrouping his unit.
“I found my squad and asked them who got hit, and they told me that I got hit,” he said. “I didn’t know I got hit.”
Though not initially awarded a
Purple Heart, Roman was persuaded by his military comrades and wife to advocate for the medal. Marines who served with him in Iraq submitted witness statements in support of the commendation — among them his platoon commander, who wrote in lieu of Roman’s company commander, who was killed in action
and the San Diego-based Jackson Pendo Development Company, had plans to turn the site into more than 1,000 homes, commercial storefronts, a new fire station and an elementary school, a project that required construction on various unconnected parcels. The developer had purchased the land in 2014 for nearly $40 million.
In 2019, the county Board of Supervisors approved the project with support from local fire officials, who assured board members that the development was safe despite it being proposed in an area prone to wildfires.
Multiple environmental groups challenged the project on grounds that it would actually bring residents to a high fire-hazard zone. Those groups, including the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity and the California Chaparral Institute, were backed by the California attorney general.
And a San Diego Superior Court judge also agreed with the environmentalists. In October 2021, Judge Richard Whitney struck down the county approval of the Adara at Otay Ranch project, citing concerns about wildfire risks and greenhouse gas emissions, and that it did not set aside affordable housing units.
Sierra Club San Diego Chair Lisa Ross said Friday of the acquisition, “the value of the land can’t be overstated.”
“San Diego County is a bio hotspot for the whole country,” she said. “It’s a crucial habitat for many endangered and threatened wildlife. Animal life has to have free roaming access.”
The land is mostly covered with coastal sage scrub and supports species such as the coastal California gnatcatcher, golden eagle and Quino checkerspot butterfly.